Another lockdown, family members or friends who are sick, bad news, sad news and no news. Fall, often considered the most beautiful season of the year, has become a stressful nightmare. Stressful beyond belief.
Everyone is impacted in one way or another by coronavirus related changes and world events. When you have a lot of stressors at the same time, and lack the usual ways to release them, you find yourself in quite a quandary.
You already know that you are supposed to be focusing on a healthy lifestyle. You need to wear a mask, get enough exercise, eat properly, and embrace mental stimulation. Is this working for you? Are you doing okay?
All of your energies are now focused on survival, one day at a time. In the old days a vacation was the answer, but now you have more time off than you ever wanted.
Today, working or not, self-care is essential. What would it take to make you “feel good” right now? Rest, a walk in the park, a new pair of slippers, a favorite dinner delivered to your door, a hot fudge sundae, a good book, or binge-watching football games?
Seniors are pretty lucky. Lockdown may be boring but you don’t need to go to work, you can have groceries and everything else delivered to your door, and you have entertainment at your fingertips. That should be enough, but it’s not.
If you are too bummed to take care of yourself, all of these pluses are for naught. This is hard; humans are groomed to put others first. For a long time, self-care was thought to be a sign of selfishness, but psychologists now know that just the opposite is true. It is essential to take care of yourself first, so that you can give your best to others.
Self-care is giving yourself permission to acknowledge that you need help. Feeling anxious, stressed, or just plain out of sorts is not okay; it is bad for your health and well-being. Doing something pleasurable or good for “you” helps connect you to the world around you.
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